Appointments

MAKING APPOINTMENTS

We appreciate that it can be difficult at times to make appointments and so we have tried to adapt and facilitate this with a variety of approaches to accommodate individual needs.

Beyond the traditional telephone booking service (which can also be booked on your behalf by third person e.g. friend or family), we also operate an online booking facility. To gain access you simply need to attend reception with some identification. An account will then be created for you, which allows you both 24 hour access to book appointments subject to availability and access to the online repeat prescription ordering service. Furthermore, there is also an Extended Access service offering appointments throughout Sunderland located in five ‘hubs’. Monday to Friday these five hubs are open 6:00pm – 8:30pm (one of which is Southwick Health Centre). At the weekend there are three hubs open between 9:00am – 5:30pm on a Saturday (including one at Southwick Health Centre) and two on Sunday. Hubs are open seven days a week throughout the year, including bank holidays and holidays. The hubs are staffed by local clinicians for local patients. Along with 111, we can book you appointments at these hubs. More details can be found at: http://www.sunderlandgpalliance.co.uk/sunderland-extended-access-service-information/.

Please read the following before you make an appointment. It will help you to decide if you need an appointment to see a doctor or a nurse, and if you so, which one might be the best choice to help with your particular problem.

Patient Signposting

Medication Reviews – Doctors tend to review patients who are on multiple drugs but the Practice Nurses can review some patients who have chronic diseases e.g. Diabetes, Hypertension, COPD and Asthma. Ask the Receptionist who you should book in with for your review.

For new implant and IUCD contraceptive services, please contact City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust (http://www.chsft.nhs.uk/patients-visitors/services-z/family-planning), or ask us for details of other local services.

Check with the Receptionist to find out if it is necessary to see a doctor in order to get a fit note. If you have recently been discharged from hospital or have an ongoing problem then you may be able to request one on the telephone.

Test Results and Hospital Letters – Please ring the surgery to see if it is necessary to make a further appointment to discuss the results of any tests or investigations.

Double appointments are at the discretion of the doctor. Do not make double appointments on line as they will be altered to a single appointment.

Previously we have had problems with patients who failed to attend for their appointments. This resulted in a waste of the doctors and nurses time and also contributed to a shortage of appointments. Studies have shown that patients simply forget if they make an appointment too far in advance.

As a result of this, two thirds of our appointments are released only 24 hours in advance

We appreciate that that some people like to make an appointment further in advance, to fit in with work and family, so the remainder of our appointments are released one week in advance. These are at various times of the day.

We will endeavour to give you an appointment with the doctor of your choice but due to pressure on our appointment system, this is not always possible.

Appointment reminders – The practice uses a system called MJOG to communicate certain pieces of information to patients who have access to a smartphone. With your consent, we can send an automated text message to remind you of your appointment or to offer you health promotion advice such as the availability of ‘flu vaccines for those in at risk groups. To use this service to its fullest, please search for ‘MJOG Messenger’ in your appropriate app store, or click on the link below:

The MJog Smart service allows practices to communicate with patients through an app called the MJog Messenger, which is installed on your mobile phone. It is a free type of messaging. MJog Smart messages are very similar to text messages.

Practice Nurse

Appointments are available every day and can be made at least 4 weeks in advance.

Treatment Room

If you need to make an appointment at the Treatment Room then either go along to the main Health Centre Reception at the front of the building or telephone 0191 5026660.